Neither Hide nor Hair
by Yellow German Shepherd
Summary: 2 x 01 Cameron and the Deception team get a new case when endangered species disappear from the local zoo. Jonathan and Mystery Woman begin their "partnership."
1. Chapter 1

All usual disclaimers apply. Obviously, I don't own this show (or the network), or it wouldn't have been canceled. All errors are my own.

Follows my story _Realizations_ which follows the finale _Transposition_. Not absolutely necessary to read first, but it might help.

 **Neither Hide nor Hair**

Jonathan's voice:

"Everyone makes mistakes. Big mistakes. Some admit them, apologize and rectify the situation."

 _In a large grassland habitat, several black-footed ferrets are playing, sleeping and eating while the shadow of a figure approaches_.

"Some embrace their mistakes, and turn to that lifestyle."

 _The figure reaches into the enclosure and grabs a ferret close to the door, swiftly giving it an injection that puts it to sleep, and places it into a child's pink backpack covered with butterflies._

"Some deny what they've done and keep on living like nothing ever happened."

 _The rest of the animals in the exhibit remain undisturbed, two young ones chase each other around._

"Others turn and run, leaving everything behind, running, running, finding themselves getting further and further away from everything familiar, hiding in a deep dark hole."

 _The bag is zipped and picked up and carried out through the hallways and sidewalks between other exhibits._

"And then they realize there's no turning back."

 _The backpack is placed in the back of an SUV with the zoo entrance visible in the far background._

\- o -

A black SUV with federal plates pulled up to the curve outside the Archive. Kay and Mike climbed out, still absorbed in conversation.

Mike was speaking, "I don't trust Jonathan."

Kay didn't bother to respond. She just headed inside. "I mean, are we going to follow the map or not?" Mike continued.

Kay stopped and turned around to hush him. "Not right now, but I'm sure we will soon enough when the time is right." Inside the loft, both federal agents approached the table and began setting up their laptops as the deception team trickled into the room.

"Where's Cameron?" Kay asked Jordan and Gunter when the magician hadn't shown himself.

"Don't know." Jordan responded, though his expression said otherwise.

A minute later, Cameron bounded into the room, followed by Dina. Kay glanced briefly at him before her head snapped back to give him a more thorough look.

"Cameron, do you have make-up on?

His grin faltered for a second and then broadened. "Yeah."

The look on Dina's face said _I told you so_ as she took a seat at the table. His former rather spectacular black eye appeared to have faded drastically overnight. A faint amount of purple was still visible, just enough to show that his face was still bruised.

"Cam…" She started, exasperated.

"Nice to see you too, Kay," he interrupted with his trademark grin, sitting casually on the table. Behind him, the rest of his team gathered. "How about that case you're so anxious to show us?"

Kay looked around the table at the team's expectant faces and gave up with a sigh, "Mike?"

"Right. There have been four individual animals that have disappeared from the New York Zoo over the past two months. The latest one was a black-footed ferret that disappeared two days ago. Each one has been a different species, and each is on the United States endangered list, which is why it's an FBI case."

Kay took it from there. "Nothing has been caught on security cameras. There have been no problems spotted with the video footage, either. Background checks on all employees came back clean. We haven't been to the zoo ourselves yet."

She handed out a list with pictures and descriptions. "These are the animals that have disappeared. The motives are not known. Species appear to have been picked at random. Two mammals, a reptile and a bird. All are native to the United States, but are from different regions of the country."

"Why would someone take endangered species? What would they do with these poor creatures?" Dina asked.

Mike answered her. "Considering that they're all endangered species, it's possible they might be selling them as pets or for taxidermist specimens to a private collector. Someone could even try to illegally breed them. Obviously, some animals are valuable for fur, for venom or other secreted substances, but none of the ones missing meet those qualifications."

Jordan was closely examining his sheet of paper. "The animals are all small, easy to carry, conceal," he observed.

"Right. The perps are also patient, taking their time between the kidnappings." Kay pointed out.

"Have there been any other cases of missing animals, endangered or otherwise from other places or previous time periods?" Cameron interjected.

"Nothing relevant." Kay glanced at her laptop screen.

"What about surveillance videos?" Jordan inquired, switching to a seat closer to Kay's laptop.

"You're welcome to see what we've got." Kay started tapping at the keyboard to bring up the videos. "This is the video from the estimated time frame that the bird," she glanced at her laptop again, "a golden-cheeked warbler, was taken."

"Two weeks ago," Jordan added, reading the time frame as the video began to play. He watched it closely as it continued.

After a few minutes of silence while some of them peered at the small laptop screen, Gunter stepped forward with his arms crossed. "What do you expect us to do?" He asked somewhat crossly.

"Mike and I are heading over there now. I wanted to take Cameron and Jordan with us to look at the surveillance video footage and examine the crime scenes, see if they can come up with anything." Kay said patiently.

Jordan looked up from the laptop. "I need more time with this video. And I'd like to see more footage, anyway. When do we go?"

"We can leave as soon as you two are ready. Okay, Cameron?"

"Yeah, great!" he stood up, clapped his hands together and grabbed his coat. Jordan pulled his on as well.

Kay headed for the door. "Time to pull a rabbit out of your hat," she tossed over her shoulder at Cameron.

Jordan groaned and Mike grinned widely.

"Kay… Kay! How long are you going to keep doing that?" Cam stumbled after her.

She looked back and smiled at him. "As long as it annoys you."

\- o -

So… on my last story _Realizations_ , I got some reviews that indicate I'm way off. What I would like to know is, should I continue? I know I am not a writer, but I am trying to get the characters right. However, I do welcome _constructive_ criticism aimed at helping me improve. Certain things will also become more clear as the story progresses, and I promise that Jonathan is not a bad guy at all. He's been in a very difficult position for a long time and reacted accordingly.

Please, please, please let me know if you are interested in my continuing this story. I've noticed that now that the series has ended, there is not as much _Deception_ activity. I would like to help keep interest in the show going so we can keep up the fight up to renew this unique and awesome show!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all who left encouraging reviews. I hope I can live up to expectations!

Sorry for the long wait. Thank you for your patience. I have an outline for this story now and the next chapter shouldn't take so long. This was not an easy chapter to write!

I also highly recommend getting a screen shot of the map from the last two shows since I cannot post photos here.

Chapter 2

Jonathan turned over in his bed in a seedy motel in the outskirts of the New York City area. Tonight he couldn't get Cameron out of his head. The look of surprise, of betrayal that briefly flickered through his eyes before Jon's fist connected with his forehead. He turned over and punched his pillow, taking out some frustration on the helpless bedding. He couldn't put the image out of his mind, hitting his brother, then stripping his clothes off, leaving Cameron behind unconscious on the floor.

He'd told himself, over and over, he'd done it to protect Cameron. So that Mystery Woman… She'd told him that her name was Svana. He doubted that was her real name, however. Just like in the story of Rumpelstiltskin, she seemed to think that if someone knew her name, they had power over her. Whatever… She couldn't use Cam against him. Anyway, his brother had deserved that punch, he had it coming. And he _was_ safer at the prison than he was following the map, waiting for _her_.

After M.W.— _Svana_ , had abducted Cam and coerced him to work for her to steal the diamond, Jon came up with an elaborate plan to trap her and prove his own innocence. In fact, he thought of several variations. By himself if necessary, so that no one else would get hurt, so that no one else could mess it up. It had seemed his plans had become unnecessary after the FBI had captured her. But then the FBI had _let her go_ again.

So he was going to leave everything behind, including Cameron, and do it himself. By himself, so no one else could screw it up. He was going to take care of it by any means necessary. He'd given Cameron his chance. He knew that he could do it right. Svana had brought feelings to the surface that he'd buried all his life. That he never had his own life. Everything was about Cameron. Yes, Jon had chosen to continue to live with the secret and pretend to be Cameron after they became adults, after their father died, but that was what he'd always done, that was what Cameron expected of him. They'd made decisions about the show together and their lives together, but he'd never made a decision for himself.

That was about to change. He was finally going to do it _himself_. He had a plan. It wouldn't fail.

Then Cam had come in, and announced they were escaping together.

No-no-no-no-no-no! He couldn't let that happen. This was _his_ escape. Not Cameron's.

Jon snapped. He'd never hit his brother before. Never. His hand still hurt, three days later after nailing his twin in the head. He'd probably broken something when he hit Cameron's thick skull. After all, he'd hit him hard enough to knock him unconscious. He didn't want to think about how easy that had been. He ignored the pain, just like he was trying and failing to ignore his brother.

He should have known Cam would try to break him out. He had been in full panic mode when M.W. had walked out of the FBI and Jon had been escorted back to prison. He'd been so blinded by his own grief and jealousy that he hadn't seen it until Cameron came into the visitation room and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the lockpicks.

Yes, he regretted leaving his brother in the prison. But part of him didn't. Now it was Cameron's turn to see what it was like to be wrongfully imprisoned, _and_ let down by his brother. He would get to see what Jonathan had endured day after day for 15 months. Having to do what he was told to do, having no friends, eating awful food, and fearing constantly for his own life. Besides, he knew someone would figure it out pretty soon and Cameron would actually get out. He wouldn't be stuck in there for long. Dina and Kay were both pretty perceptive; one of them would figure it out.

He gave up on sleep and sat up and picked his lucky coin up off the nightstand, fiddling with it until he calmed down a little. Ignoring Cameron wasn't working. He stood up and headed to the shower. If he stood under the hot water long enough, maybe he could wash away the guilt he felt for betraying his brother.

Whatever his reasons, he couldn't face Cameron yet. Not until he had finished what he set out to do, to clear his name and find incriminating evidence against the Mystery Woman by _himself_.

\- o -

Jonathan looked up from his laptop as Svana entered his dimly lit motel room. Since he had no access to the internet from the prison, he had been catching up on researching the men that had hired his great-grandfather over a hundred years ago to hide their fortunes. He was trying to figure out what treasures the map might possibly lead to and if the symbols the automaton had written might represent anything specific to the men or to their portion of the inheritance.

Jonathan wasn't too comfortable with her casually letting herself into his room, sauntering in like she owned it. He wasn't going to let her know that outright, however. He shifted his attention back to his work, purposely ignoring her for the moment.

Having found something of interest, he wrote a comment above one of the symbols on the map in front of him. The original fragile 100 year old map had been carefully scanned and put away for safety. He was currently working off of copies which allowed him to write directly onto the map itself.

She pulled a chair from the table just a little too close for comfort and slowly lowered herself into it. _Just like a snake_ , he thought, managing to keep his snarky comment to himself.

"Have you figured it out yet?" She asked, leaning even closer to peer at his scribbles and the laptop screen.

"Nothing yet." Jonathan paused, leaning slightly away from her intoxicating presence. "We already know that the letters at the top are Roman numerals for a series of three numbers, 1918, 1850-01, and 1450. 1918 is probably the year that Alistair created the room with the automaton. I don't have enough information on the Greek symbols or the shapes on the map itself to make any guesses yet."

Svana made an impatient sound before standing back up. "Well, I'll just have to find a way to encourage you, then." She snaked an arm down to his chest from behind him and he stiffened slightly. "What would you like to eat?" She purred into his ear.

"Um, Mexican?" he turned his face up toward her at the same time shifting the rest of himself away.

"Well then," she pouted slightly, "let's get you fed."

Jonathan had cut his hair short the day after he escaped prison. Not only did it help disguise him from the possibly circulated images of escaped convict Jonathan Black, but it also separated him from the famous Vegas magician Cameron Black, and personally, from his brother. They always had the same hair cut their entire lives, and Dina had cut it ever since she had joined their group. He felt a quick pang of regret at the thought of her, but quickly pushed it away. He was also growing out his beard, however that would take a little longer. For now, he pulled on a baseball cap with a worn construction jacket, and they headed out to the car that she had confiscated.

As the two of them sat in a less than sanitary restaurant waiting for their food, Jon leaned back and considered the mysterious woman in front of him. Cameron had mentioned that she had multiple personalities ( _go away, Cam!_ ), and he was starting to see what his brother meant. Sitting across the table from him, she had retained her cooler behavior that he had seen in the FBI interrogation room rather the slinky seductress from the motel room earlier.

"How do _you_ think we should solve this map?" She cocked her head to the side and folded her hands together on the table.

He flipped his coin between his fingers. "I haven't found anything in Houdini's journal to help decode these symbols. You didn't use the Greek alphabet in your codes in Bishop's murals. I don't know yet. But I will figure it out."

The food arrived, stalling their conversation. Both let the topic drop, concentrating on eating and trying to figure out the other's game plan.

Jon broke the silence. "You wouldn't be willing to tell me about your mom and your family, would you? Or your childhood?" They both sat there eying each other skeptically. Jon tried another topic. "How did you know about Alistair Black's project, hiding the billionaires' fortunes?"

She sat back and considered his question. "I was researching your father's family. I wanted to find a way to humiliate him. And Cameron. I found a rumor that Alistair had stolen part of the Hugh DuPont fortune and did a little digging. Then I found more information linking him to the other men in the picture and slowly put together the pieces. I came across the photo at Covington's estate."

"So my father didn't know."

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of Sebastian. "After he died, I decided this was more rewarding than getting revenge on a dead man. I had to track down many old family journals and heirlooms before I found the pieces to your grandfather's puzzle. Rockefeller's was the hardest to crack." She smiled at him, "Thank you, by the way."

He ignored her last comment, feeling too irritated to think of a witty comeback. Instead, he turned his attention back to his dinner, taking out some frustration on cutting up his food.

"I'll give you everything I know from my research into the men and their treasures. Their children's inheritance and the journals I recovered. Hugh DuPont was a railroad pioneer who made millions on the backs of immigrant workers. He turned a great deal of his money into gold and most of that gold is still missing."

"You want me to find the money and treasures for you." He said dryly.

"We'll do it together." She said in a tender voice, placing her hand on his. He tried not to wince as her hand touched his sore knuckles, but she noticed, glancing down at his bruised hand. "What did you do to your hand?" She asked, examining the colorful knuckles.

He refused to answer and looked away. Understanding flickered through her and she shifted back into his field of vision. Her face changed to one of compassion. "How are you doing without Cameron?" The question seemed genuine, and he oddly felt compelled to tell her the truth.

"I'm trying not to think of him, honestly."

She regarded him for a minute. "You've always been there for him," she stated simply.

Her comment nearly brought tears to his eyes. "Say goodbye to him, mourn him, and then move on. He can't dictate your life anymore. Ever again. Let him go back to Kay and the FBI. Let him live his own life while you live yours."

\- o -

I am reluctant to reply to comments after last time, however let me reassure everyone that indeed, Jonny and M.W. do have a connection forged in the sense that they were both largely dismissed as children. However, M.W. is still playing Jon, as demonstrated by her refusal to exonerate Jon and her using the FBI to sow turmoil against the twins.


	3. Chapter 3

Kay climbed into the backseat of the SUV along with Cameron while Jordan rode in the front. She could see past Cameron's cheerful facade in the Archive. The make-up he was wearing couldn't hide the tiredness and sadness reflected in his eyes. Cam climbed in from the other side and eyed her skeptically.

Mike pulled the vehicle out into traffic. "I'm fine, Kay," Cameron told her as she opened her mouth. She shut it with a snap and rolled her eyes. It had still only been a few days since Jonathan had left him in the prison, and he was clearly still dealing with it internally. In the front, Jordan was already telling another one of his lame joke to Mike. She felt a quick pang of guilt for making him Jordan's captive audience.

Beside her, Cameron launched into one of his long winded stories. "When we were kids, Dad decided he wanted to try a new trick with a goose. We were, oh, about seven. He had this goose on the stage, and it decided it didn't want me up there and ran right at me squawking and flapping its wings. So it's chasing me all over the stage. No matter which way I ran, I couldn't get away from it. If I let it get too close, it would bite at me. It also chased a couple of the stage hands when they tried to pull it off of me. It was a totally evil bird! It was determined to run everyone off the stage. So finally, Jonathan comes on the stage and starts telling it off!" Cameron smiled as he recalled the memory. "He just lit into that goose for chasing his poor brother. It just stopped and stood there startled for a minute. Jon just kept lecturing it. Then it just turned around and sautered off the stage like nothing happened. Jon had his arms crossed, lecturing it until it disappeared behind the curtain." He laughed a little.

"You haven't had much experience with animals, have you?" Kay asked him.

"Ah, no... I.. We couldn't travel with animals much and we didn't use them in Vegas." Silence descended in the backseat and Cameron turned away to look out the window as they drove through New York. Kay left him to his thoughts, focusing on the case file in front of her.

Both of them could hear chatter from the front seat Jordan continued his mostly one-sided conversation with Mike.

\- o -

As Mike pulled into the zoo parking lot, Kay reminded them to keep their heads down and to not announce that they were investigating the missing animals. "Just like the museum, this is probably an inside job, so the less people that know who we are, the better."

The head of security met them in the parking lot. He introduced himself as Thomas Evans and escorted them through a back door of the facility to a room filled with monitors. He introduced them to the director of the museum, Cindy Roberts.

She shook hands with both Mike and Kay. "Welcome. Do you have all the information you need?"

"So far, yes, ma'am," Kay assured her.

"We want to help you in any way we can. Just let myself or Mr. Evans know if there is anything you need."

"Thank you."

The director left, assuring them she would check in with them periodically. Evans and a tech set them up with several stations to examine camera security footage. They started with the first disappearance, a Columbia basin pygmy rabbit that disappeared two months previously.

After an hour, Cameron was nearly nodding off staring at the footage from different cameras. Kay elbowed him awake as the director stopped in to check with the team.

Seeing the magician blinking sleepily and the restlessness of the others, she offered a tour of the zoo.

Kay glance back at the others and then accepted. Jordan waved them on, and Mike decided to stay with Jordan. She agreed with his decision even though he looked like he'd rather explore the zoo as well.

Cameron stood up and stretched. Kay was also grateful for the break and a chance to stretch her legs. She followed the director out the door with Cameron close behind her.

Starting with the outdoor exhibits, they first toured the African plains animals before heading towards a bird enclosure. As they walked they looked for security cameras and examined the electronic locks on the exhibit entrances.

"Have you noticed any patterns with the abductions, such as during special events?" Kay asked the director.

"We haven't, but we can give you a schedule if you'd like to check into it."

"Who has access to the habitat enclosures?"

"Just employees. Supervisors have access to all the animals, but most employees only have access to the ones that they work with. Security has access to everything for obvious reasons." Roberts gestured to some of the animal habitat access points.

Kay nodded and filed the information away for later. "How many endangered species do you have here?" She asked as they approached a large cats area.

The director gave her a sharp look. "Quite a few. We're trying to take more precautions with these species since they are being targeted. Even though only smaller animals have been taken so far, we are boosting security on all national endangered species. We also have several larger animals, such as this jaguar."

"The jaguar is endangered?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, in the United States. It was historically located in southern Arizona and Texas. It is threatened throughout Central and South America." She paused as they approached a young man with a zoo volunteer vest. "Actually, Caleb here can tell you more. He's a student volunteer here doing a project on the jaguar."

Cameron's eyes shifted to the young man as Roberts introduced him. The student's eyes widened as he realized who she was introducing him to and he could see the boy visually cringe with nervousness.

"Caleb McKenzie." He politely introduced himself, extending his hand with his eyes darting around uneasily.

"Cameron Black." He shook the kid's hand, giving him a dazzling smile in an effort to put him at ease. "This is Kay," indicating his partner standing behind him. "You're the resident big cat expert?"

"Not-not an expert,' he stuttered. "Just learning." His voice became more confident, but his eyes still darted back and forth between Kay and Cameron. "I'm doing a project at the university on the effect of the different habitats on the cats. Their natural habitat verses the zoo's replica. New York is a very different environment than southern Arizona."

Cameron nodded with understanding, becoming genuinely interested in the nervous young man in front of him. "What are you learning?"

Behind him, Kay rolled her eyes at how easily he had become distracted. "Cameron, we should keep going. We don't want to keep Ms. Roberts waiting."

Cam turned back to Kay, "Right." Then turning back to Caleb, he apologized, "Sorry, maybe some other time. Perhaps I'll see you later." He flashed him another smile before darting after Kay and Roberts toward the bird area.

Roberts stopped at the one of the fenced sections, indicating a plaque in front of her. "This is the enclosure that the golden-cheeked warbler was taken from."

Kay eyed the birds among the trees and greenery in a smaller enclosure of the aviary. "You have several species in here."

"Yes, that is correct," Roberts affirmed.

"The thief would have had to have been familiar with the bird and finding and catching it." Kay observed. She turned to Cameron. "Any thoughts?"

He had his arms crossed and was staring up into a tree in the peak of the aviary. "Do you have any one person that's familiar enough to catch each one of these animals that have been taken? Especially this one?"

The director sighed. "It's been something we've been looking into, but no one person has stood out in our investigation. When we get back to the office, I can give you the files and the areas that each of our supervisors cover."

After checking the camera locations, they continued their tour until the director had to return for an important meeting. Cameron and Kay headed back to the security room where Mike and Jordan were still staring at monitors. Jordan was in his element with his feet up and relaxed flipping through camera footage. Mike, on the other hand, was looking a little cross-eyed.

"Have you guys found anything yet?" Kay asked as they stepped into the room.

Mike blinked blearily up at them and Jordan swiveled in his seat, gracefully keeping his feet propped up on the table. Kay glared at him, but Jordan was oblivious. Turning back to the monitor, he brought up a video and answered, "Not exactly. I have been finding times when the quality of the video changes, but I need more time to compare it to other videos before I can tell you anything."

Kay frowned and chewed on her lower lip. "Show me." Mike and Cameron gathered around her and Jordan at the computer station.

Jordan pointed at the video on the monitor. It was from the camera aimed at the entrance to the black-footed ferret habitat. It showed a few of the ferrets milling about slowly. Suddenly, the camera seemed to blip and the video seemed less focused. "It stays like this for about two minutes before returning to normal." Sure enough after about that amount of time, it returned to regular focus.

Mike called over the security technician and Jordan replayed the clip for him. "Is this normal?" he asked the tech.

"No, but we have seen a few instances where the camera seems to lose its focus and then re-focuses again. We've had the camera experts look at it, but they can't find anything wrong with the cameras." The tech tapped a few buttons and another video popped up of a reptile habitat. It wasn't any place they had seen and Kay couldn't make out what species it was. The video blurred a little for a few minutes and then returned to normal much like the video Jordan had found.

Jordan pointed back at the video he had been looking at. "This video is from the window of time that the ferret was estimated to have been taken. I bet that's when it was taken. Could that video also be from when another one of the animals was taken?" He asked the technician, indicating the reptilian habitat.

"No," the tech answered. "Although this one was where the Alabama red-bellied turtle went missing about a week later."

Mike's eyebrows furrowed. "Test run?" Jordan nodded thoughtfully.

"Makes sense," Kay added. "Good work, Jordan. Can you find and put together all these occurrences of the out of focus video?" Jordan nodded and turned back to the computer.

"Actually, let's take a break and get some lunch, first," she said, checking her watch. "And then we can take a look at more of the zoo. The director gave us a partial tour before she was called away, and I'd like to look at the other locations that the animals were removed from."

Mike especially looked relieved as he blinked and yawned. Jordan almost looked annoyed that he had to move from his comfortable position, but he was hungry too, so he jumped up and headed for the door.

Kay scoffed and smiled. She and Cameron exchanged grins and followed Jordan out the door with Mike close behind.

\- o -

Over sandwiches at the zoo's restaurant, the team discussed theories and traded barbs. Cameron was quieter than usual, but threw in a few comments too.

"Good thing they won't take an eagle. It would be illegal." Jordan announced.

"Eagles are no longer endangered." Kay answered without looking up from what she was reading.

"No, no. It would be an ill eagle—get it? It would be sick!" Everyone around the table groaned.

Cameron grinned the tiniest bit. "That was so bad!" he told Jordan.

"Yeah, it was." Jordan grinned back.

After lunch, they checked out the reptile area that the Alabama red-bellied turtle disappeared from and the ferret's habitat before heading back to the security monitor-lined dungeon.

The director was waiting for them. After updating her on what they had found so far, all four settled in to continue watching video feeds.

After watching what seemed like hours of footage, Kay's mind began to wonder. She had told Cameron during their first real case together that _most investigative work happens at a desk, going through paperwork_. Or staring at a computer screen watching video footage, or something else equally boring. She tried to re-focus on the drudgery of sifting through the hours and hours of footage from the zoo. People walking the paths, stopping to tap on glass, making faces at the animals. Adults were more or less holding squirming children. Young kids that cried if an animal scared them. Parents were yelling at children of all ages to behave. Older kids and adults walked around staring at their phones or pointing at some of the animals and laughed. The videos began to blur together again.

A sudden foreign noise broke into the monotony of the silent videos, startling her. It took her a second to recognize Cameron's voice, "Wait a minute…"

She sat back and shook her head. "What did you find?"

"This group, a um, woman with a kid. I saw them earlier. They've got an extra bag here."

"Really?" She came to stand beside Cameron at his computer.

"Yeah." He pointed at an adult and young child looking at grizzly bears. The woman had both a shoulder bag and a child's backpack. "See that backpack? She didn't have it earlier."

"Oh?"

"I can find it. Um, here." Cameron brought up a video with the same woman and child wandering through the African plains exhibit.

Mike too joined the party gathering around Cameron's computer. "When was it?" his voice gained a little excitement.

"When the ferret disappeared." Kay answered, laying out a map of the zoo on the table and pointed at it. "Here they are at the African exhibit. Here's the ferret's habitat, and here's where you saw them watching the bears with the backpack."

"Can you track them all the way through the zoo, figure out precisely where they picked up that bag and get as detailed picture of her face as possible?" Mike was already zooming in on the lady's face that held the child's backpack.

Jordan answered for him, "Let me do that."

"What, you don't think I can do that?" Cam was offended.

"Nope, no offence, boss." Jordan looked entirely too smug.

Cameron considered it. "Fair enough. I don't want to do it anyway." Jordan just grinned, swiveling in his chair to face Mike.

Kay smiled. Now that they had a lead on the case, the tension had disappeared. "Let's get to work."

\- o -

Okay, so I made a little bit of changes based on the _constructive_ criticism I got. If anyone has any more suggestions to improve, let me know, if I'm going to do this—I want to do it right.


End file.
